


no dreams in the waves (only monsters)

by paradoxicalrenegade (citadelofswords)



Category: Dumb Kids Playing Hero (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Sharing Clothes, spoilers up to the s1 finale i guess, when is a monster not a monster? when you love it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:23:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28843068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/citadelofswords/pseuds/paradoxicalrenegade
Summary: Dante’s barely even got the second knock out when Kel yanks the door to the apartment open and grabs his fist, already swinging forward again. “Shhhhhh!” they hiss, and peer back into the room behind them nervously, before relaxing. “Shhh,” they add, softer. “He jus' got to sleep.”Eyebrow already climbing into his hairline, Dante peeks around them into the apartment to find a pile of his hoodies cocooning a beagle puppy on Kel and Ariel’s ratty couch. “I thought you weren’t allowed to have pets in this place.Ow!”Kel’s smacked Dante on the arm— lightly, but still a smack. “That’s Benny,” they say. “It was… a rough day. I tried to help make him comfortable, but I dunno if it really worked.”Oh.
Relationships: Dante & Benny & Kel, Dante/Benny (implied), Kel/Dante
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6
Collections: Secret Druids of the Stones 2020 (A Standing Stones Fanwork Exchange)





	no dreams in the waves (only monsters)

**Author's Note:**

> title taken from "unbecoming" by starset.
> 
> this takes place at some point during the three month timeskip, probably not long after diwali but definitely prior to the finale.
> 
> the prompt was [“I worry about it” “I just want him to feel safe” / the notion: when is a monster not a monster? when you love it / sharing of blankets/borrowed clothes] and as is typical for me i just shoved it all in there

Dante’s barely even got the second knock out when Kel yanks the door to the apartment open and grabs his fist, already swinging forward again. “ _Shhhhhh_!” they hiss, and peer back into the room behind them nervously, before relaxing. “Shhh,” they add, softer. “He jus' got to sleep.”

Eyebrow already climbing into his hairline, Dante peeks around them into the apartment to find a pile of his hoodies cocooning a beagle puppy on Kel and Ariel’s ratty couch. “I thought you weren’t allowed to have pets in this place. _Ow_!”

Kel’s smacked Dante on the arm— lightly, but still a smack. “That’s _Benny_ ,” they say. “It was… a rough day. I tried to help make him comfortable, but I dunno if it really worked.”

Oh. Dante looks again, as Kel ushers him inside and closes the door with a soft click. Benny— the puppy version, anyway— barely stirs at the whisper of movement across the floor, which judging by Kel’s reaction is probably a good thing. Instead of making a comment he doesn’t really want to elaborate on, he asks, “Are those my hoodies?”

“Sure aren’t mine,” Kel says, and pulls down a couple mugs from the pantry. They’re also wearing one of Dante’s hoodies— at least, he’s pretty sure they are. All his hoodies look exactly the same. “I dunno. It seemed to help, like… calm him down enough to get to sleep.”

Dante nods slowly. He opens his mouth to ask about the timing when Kel points to the tomato-shaped timer on the counter, set to an hour. “Ninety minutes,” they say, quiet. “Don’t worry. He won’t get stuck.”

“I wasn’t worried.” He was. Judging by the look Kel shoots him, they know he’s lying, but they don’t push it; just shove a cup of tea across the counter at him. It feels rude to decline, so he takes it, if only just to hold the warm cup between his hands.

Benny shifts abruptly on the couch, whining a little in pup form. Kel glances at him and then holds a finger to their lips, nodding towards the door to their room. It takes conscious effort to not step on every creaky floorboard along the way, but soon enough they’re over the threshold, Kel leaning against the door after closing it.

“Rough day?” Dante asks. Kel wiggles a hand and winces a little. “Do you need one of your braces?” They shake their head. “Okay. Um, here.” He holds out a hand— his palm is a little sweaty, but Kel doesn’t seem to mind, sliding their fingers between his. “We can sit for a bit, and drink tea?”

Kel hums assent, and settles down next to Dante, leaning comfortably into his side. Dante holds his tea with one hand while his other holds theirs and he’s not really used to not fidgeting— and right now he honestly feels kinda wired and really itching to put fingers to keys— but this is fine. 

Silence can’t stand for long, not when Dante is in the room. “So I know Benny won’t let me stand him up on his hind legs and make him dance— don’t tell him I told you about that— but you think he’d at least let me pet him when he’s a dog?”

Kel shrugs.

“I dunno. How can you resist a puppy, though? I can’t. And, sure, part of it is definitely just messing with him.” Kel nestles their head against his shoulder and sips their tea, and he loses his train of thought for a moment. “I’d goof around with him as a bear if he couldn’t kill me with one paw without even trying.”

“He wouldn’t,” Kel says, sleepily.

“No, I know he wouldn’t.” He’d probably be scared to, though. Dante wonders, idly, if he could convince him all the same. It would be funny. They couldn’t share a video anywhere, obviously, where anyone else could see it, but maybe they could look back on it and laugh.

Silence with Kel is never uncomfortable, so Dante keeps rattling off thoughts until he runs out and Kel is dozing against his shoulder, and they sit and wait together. Dante's mind drifts in and out of half-baked plans, worst-case scenarios, and idle daydreams about a smile he's not seen in a while, until a noise from the living room shakes them both from reverie. Dante’s first thought is that Ariel’s come home, but it’s too quiet a noise. Then he thinks the timer’s gone off, but Kel brought it into the room with them, and it’s still got twenty minutes on it, so it’s not that, either.

Dante glances at Kel to find them staring at him in confusion, and carefully he untangles their knot of arms and legs to tiptoe to the door. The noise comes again, softer this time, but there’s feeling to it that means it’s not just a creaky floorboard or someone fumbling their keys.

Kel presses up against his back, and slowly Dante eases the door open and peeks into the living room. Benny seems to still be asleep, but as the two of them watch his nest rustles and shakes and the noise comes again— louder, this time, and distressed.

“He’s dreaming,” Dante realizes.

With the practiced air of someone used to this sort of behavior, Kel says, “That’s a nightmare,” and takes their cane from where it’s propped up by the door.

Together, they settle on the sofa on either side of Benny. Dante’s not an expert on dog facial expressions, but he doesn’t look happy; and his little puppy legs are moving like he’s running for his life but can’t get traction. 

“Hey, Benny,” Kel whispers, resting a hand on the part of him they can see. “S'okay, Benny. You’re just dreaming. We’re here.”

“I don’t know if he can hear you,” Dante says, and the look Kel levels him with is enough to get him to relent. He pulls part of the nest aside so he can rub one finger behind one of Benny’s ears (and he doesn’t miss how this is the sort of touch he’d never initiate with the human version of his friend). “Well, if you can, buddy, I hope you wake up soon. Sounds like it’s a bad time in there.”

Benny whines, something low and broken-sounding, and Kel and Dante look at each other. Kel’s face is twisted in worry; Dante isn’t sure he wants to know what his face looks like.

“You’re safe here,” Kel says, finally, breaking eye contact. “You don’t have to worry. We’ll look after you.”

Dante’s throat closes up. It’s not— not really a promise they can make. The safety bit, anyway. But Benny seems to understand that better than any of the others do. The least Dante can do is to make sure he’s not alone in that. 

The least Dante can do is try to make everything just the tiniest bit safer, so Kel doesn’t feel like they’re lying to him.

“Can you get him some water?” Kel asks, in a low voice. “He’ll want it when he wakes up.”

Dante nods, and is about halfway to the kitchen when the most pitiful little yelp emanates from the couch and he almost falls over himself trying to make it back. Kel’s a step ahead already, though— tugging Benny closer to them, his head in their lap, one hand running down his flank and up under his chin. “Hey,” they say. “Come on, Benny, wake up. You’re still in morph, you’re safe— you’re with me and Dante, okay? Kel and Dante— we’re here, we’re fine. Wake up, Benny, come on.”

Slowly, as Dante watches, Benny’s puppy eyes blink open, fixing hazily on Dante, and then peeking up at Kel. “Hey,” Kel breathes, and there’s relief in their posture that Dante has to turn away from, quickly. “Welcome back.”

Dante busies himself getting them all water, and when he turns back around Benny’s hunched on the couch, a person again. Kel looks like they want to take his hand, but Benny has put a careful three inches between them and Dante knows they won't cross that gap. Benny doesn’t reply when Dante offers him water, just takes it and drinks it down without making eye contact.

They all linger in uncomfortable silence for a moment before Benny says, “I should go.”

“Absolutely not,” Kel says firmly.

“Dude, it’s like,” Dante checks his watch, “two in the morning. You can’t go home like this.”

“I’m fine,” Benny says, but there’s something hunted in his eyes. 

“No,” Kel says, again. “You’re staying here. I'll sit on you if I have to, but you’re staying the night.”

A ghost of a smile appears on Benny’s face. “You can’t trap me here against my will, you know.”

“He’s got a point,” Dante says. “But also, please don’t leave.”

There’s a moment where Dante almost reaches out to hold Kel’s hand so they both have something to do with shaky fingers, but then Benny lifts his hands and concedes. “Fine,” he says. “But I’m sleeping on the sofa, and making breakfast.”

“Deal,” Kel says. “Thank you for understanding.”

There’s a beat of silence, and then Benny says, “I don’t have any of my clothes here.”

“I do,” Dante says. Kel and Benny both stare at him, and he looks away. “Shut up.”

Mercifully, Benny chooses that moment to yawn widely, and Kel turns all their attention to him, allowing Dante to make his escape towards finding one of the blankets he knows Kel won’t mind Benny using.

Kel hovers at their door until they’re sure that Benny’s slipped back into sleep, and then they come back and curl up in Dante’s arms again. “Did we do the right thing?” they whisper.

“I don’t know,” Dante admits.

Their fingers tangle with Dante’s. “I worry about him,” they murmur. “I just want him to feel safe somewhere.”

 _Me too_ , Dante doesn’t say.

(True to his word, Benny makes them breakfast the next morning; and if he looks the most relaxed and rested they’ve seen him in a while, and if both of them look like they haven’t slept a wink, none of them have the heart to mention it. When he does leave, he allows Kel to give him a quick hug, and if he and Dante hover around the line they refuse to cross, none of them have the heart to mention it.)

**Author's Note:**

> at this point yall probably know where to find me so i won't trouble you with that, but make sure you join the discord so you can yell about this with me :)


End file.
